Cooling system for cooling hollow trunnions on trunnion rings of refining crucibles



Dec. 29, 1964 H. BUMBERGER 3,163,695

COQLING SYSTEM FOR COOLING HOLLOW TRUNNIONS 0N TRUNNION RINGS OF REFINING CRUCIBLES Filed March 12, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 11p 1| I l 1 12 ll 4 F/GP 14 3 4 76 I h 70 W 11 E 12 INVENTOR HORST BUM BERGER HIS ATTORNEYS DE. 29, 1964 BUMBERGER 3,163,695

COOLING SYSTEM FOR COOLING HOLLOW TRUNNIONS 0N TRUNNION RINGS OF REFINING CRUCIBLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 12, 1962 INVENTOR HORST BU M BERGER BY M fiw 2W4: HIS ATTORN EYS United States Patent s 163 695 COOLING SYSTEM roia COOLING HOLLOW TRUNNIONS ON'TRUNNTON RINGS 0F RE- FINING CRUCIBLES I Horst Bumberger, Linz, Austria, assignor to Vereiuigte.

Osterreichische Eisenund Stahlwerlre Aktiengesellschaft, Linz, Austria, a company of Austria Filed Mar. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 178,919 Claims priority, application Austria, Mar. 15, 1961, A 2,175/61 4 Claims. (Cl. 266-36) Tiltable crucibles or converters used for refiningcrude iron comprise a refractory-lined, cylindrical or pearshaped vessel and a trunnion ring which surrounds and is secured to the shell of the vessel and is rigidly connected to two trunnions. By means of electromechanical or bydraulic drive mechanisms engaging the trunnions, the crucible must be tiltable from an approximatelyvertical blowing position to an inverted discharging position and back to an upright position.

Cooling systems are known, in which cooling water is conducted to the inside wall of the trunnion through a pipe which extends horizontally into the cavity of the trunnion. This mode of cooling is sufficient for relatively thin-walled trunnions having a large diameter and carried in plain bearings. In larger installations, in which the trunnions are connected by a coupling to a transmission, however, this system is not applicable because a coolant cannot be introduced from the end of the trunnions. In larger installations, anti-friction bearings rather than plain bearings are often used with trunnions which are smaller in diameter and have correspondingingly thicker walls so that they require a particularly effective cooling.

. It is an object of the invention to avoid the abovementioned disadvantages and difficulties by the provision of an improved cooling system, which ensures an effective cooling of the trunnions and reliably prevents damage to the bearings in all positions of the crucible, i.e., in the upright position and in any tilted position. The invention resides in that the cavities of both trunnions are connected by supply and return conduits for a liquid coolant, the return conduit beginning in one ofthe trunnion cavities, preferably in the cavity of the driven trunnion, in the form of a pipe coil which extends along the inside wall of the cavity. This arrangement provides a system in accordance with the principle of communicating vessels, which ensures that the trunnion cavities are entirely filled with the coolant in any position of the crucible.

cooling will be achieved and thermal stresses and expanthe end face of the non-driven trunnion 3'is a swivel joint 10 through which the supply conduit 11 extends. The discharge conduit 12 is concentrically arranged in the supply conduitll; The cavities 13 and 15 are interconnected by a connecting conduit 14. That wall of each cavity which faces the converter is formed with bores through which the connecting conduit extends. The return conduit begins on the end face of the cavity 15 of the driventrunnion 4 in the form of a pipe coil 16, which extends along the cylindrical inside wall of this cavity and is continued by a connecting conduit 17, which extends through both cavities 13 and 15 and is connected to the discharge conduit 12.

Owing to the arrangement of the pipe coil 16, the two trunnion cavities 13 and 15 are connected in accordance with the principle of communicating vessels. When water is supplied through the supply conduit 11, the trunnion cavity 13, the connecting conduit 14, the cavity 15 and the pipe coil 16 will be filled before the water can flow ofi through the connecting conduit 17. The pipe coil 16 remains filled in any position of the crucible so that the trunnion cavities 13 and 15 will also be entirely filled in all positions of the crucible. This ensures that a uniform sion will be reliably avoided.

What I claim is:

1. In an installation for refining crude iron comprising a refractory-lined, tiltable refining crucible and a trunnion ring surrounding and being secured to the shell of A swivel joint may be provided at the end'of the non- I driven trunnion and the coolant supply conduit and the return conduit may be concentrically arranged in said joint.

The inside walls of the trunnion cavities may suitably be provided with additional cooling fins.

The invention is explained more in detail in thedrawing, which illustrates by .wayof example an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a refining crucible. FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic top plan view showa in said non-driven trunnion, around said crucible adjacent I through said first conduit into the cavity in the second trunnion, a coil in said cavity in said second trunnion extending substantially completely around said cavity adjacent to its periphery and having an inlet for discharging coolant from said cavity in said second trunnion, a second conduit connected to said coil and passing through said cavity in said first trunnion for dischargingcoolant from said cavity in said second trunnion, said coil maintaining said cavity substantially full of coolant in all positions of said crucible. I

2. The cooling'system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said coil is disposed in the cavity of the driven trunnion.

3. The cooling system as set forth in claim 1, comprising a swivel joint in the front wall of the first trunnion,

said joint having two concentric passageways for the liquid coolant, the outer passageway supplying coolant to said cavity in said first trunnion and the inner passageway be-:

ing connected to said second conduit.

' 4. In an installation for refining crude iron comprising a tiltable crucible and a trunnion ring surrounding and being secured to the shell of said crucible, a hollow driven trunnion and a hollow non-driven trunnion rigidly connected to said ring, each of said trunnions having a cavity therein, a cooling system for cooling said hollow trunnions comprising a first conduit adjacent the trunnion ring conmeeting the cavity in said non-driven trunnion to the cav ity in the driven trunnion, means for introducing a liquid coolant into the cavity in said non-driven trunnion and through said first conduit into the cavity in said driven trunnion, a second conduit extending through said cavity to said trunnion ring and into said cavity in said driven trunnion, said secod conduit having a coil at its end extending around said cavity in said driven trunnion adjacent to the outer periphery thereof and having an inlet for coolant communicating with said cavity in said driven 3 4 trunnion, said coil maintaining said cavities substantally FOREIGN PATENTS full of said cool'a'nt' in all positions of said crucible. 1,220,257 3/60 Francez References Cited by the Examiner 250390 9/11 Germany I UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 MORRIS O. WOLK, Primary Examiner.

2,536,692 1/51 Miller .-....2.. 22- -65 MARCUS U. LYONS, Examiner. 

1. IN AN INSTALLATION FOR REFINING CRUDE IRON COMPRISING A REFRACTORY-LINED, TILTABLE REFINING CRUCIBLE AND A TRUNNION RING SURROUNDING AND BEING SECURED TO THE SHELL OF SAID CRUCIBLE, TWO HOLLOW TRUNNIONS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID RING, EACH TRUNNION HAVING A CAVITY THEREIN, ONE OF SAID TRUNNIONS BEING DRIVEN, A COOLING SYSTEM FOR COOLING THE HOLLOW TRUNNIONS COMPRISING A FIRST CONDUIT CONNECTING SAID CAVITIES, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING COOLANT TO THE CAVITY IN THE FIRST OF SAID TRUNNIONS FOR FLOW THERETHROUGH AND THROUGH SAID FIRST CONDUIT INTO THE CAVITY IN THE SECOND TRUNNION, A COIL IN SAID CAVITY IN SAID SECOND TRUNNION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY AROUNDSAID CAVITY ADJACENT TO ITS PERIPHERY AND HAVING AN INLET FOR DISCHARGING COOLANT FROM SAID CAIVITY IN SAID SECOND TRUNNION, A SECOND CONDUIT CONNECTED TO SAID COIL AND PASSING THROUGH SAID CAVITY IN SAID FIRST TRUNNION FOR DISCHARGING COOLANT FROM SAID CAVITY IN SAID TRUNNION, SAID COIL MAINTAINING SAID CAVITY SUBSTANTIALLY FULL OF COOLANT IN ALL POSITION OF SAID CRUCIBLE. 